The Applicants
This article attempts to introduce, more or less, the forty people who applied for the three open fellowship positions at the beginning of Season 4. At the beginning of the "competition" there were forty doctors in the hunt, which by the end of the episode The Right Stuff had been narrowed down to ten. By the start of Guardian Angels it had been narrowed down to seven, and one applicant was let go at the end of that episode. Part of the problem in developing this article is that, from the beginning, the applicants were referred to by number, and even by the episode 97 Seconds, House had not bothered to learn anyone's name. He consistently refers to them by titles such as "Unloved Foster Kid" and "Manipulative Bitch". This article relies heavily on the character names given by the Internet Movie Data Base. However, Amber and Cole identified themselves by name to other characters in the episode Guardian Angels. Taub, Brennan and Kautner were identified by name in Mirror Mirror. Number 13 has never been identified by name in any context. In Mirror Mirror, the applicants (except for Cole) had to meet with a patient who mirrored the personality of the person he was with at the time, giving us insights into their personalities. The Final Six Amber Volakis - (played by actress Anne Dudek). Amber is clearly the most ambitious and manipulative of the applicants. She managed to convince nine other applicants to quit by pretending to quit herself, but this did not work the second time. Her disregard for rules, inability to work in a team and focus on being right rather than the patient's health pretty much brands her as a female version of House. She earned her place in the final six by getting the diagnosis in Guardian Angels. The mirror patient started acting like he always had to be right about everything when he was around Amber. Jeffrey Cole - (played by actor Edi Gathegi). Cole is the only African-American in the group. He graduated from Brigham Young university and is a devout Mormon, although he does not wear his religion on his sleeve, even agreeing to drink alcohol when it was necessary for a patient's well being. House is often on his case for holding religious beliefs, but so far the only way Cole has retaliated is by calling House out on being an atheist who quotes scripture. House intentionally baited Cole about his religion in Guardian Angels as part of a bet with Cameron, and kept him on even after Cole punched him. Cole is a single father. Chris Taub - (played by actor Peter Jacobson). Taub is older than the other applicants and is a qualified plastic surgeon. He most likely earned his place among the finalists by suggesting breast enhancement surgery to hide a biopsy scar. When the mirror patient was with him, he started talking about his fantasies about Amber, even though Taub is married. Travis Brennan - (played by actor Andy Comeau). Brennan has previously worked in third world countries, but is now engaged and plans on settling down. However, it is clear that his real ambition is to go back to the third world, even though he can't. He was going to quit, but his fiance made him stay. The mirror patient started acting like he didn't want to work in a hospital when he was around Taub. Lawrence Kutner - (played by actor Kal Penn). Kutner, aka number 6 (sometimes number 9 when House fires number 6) is a young south Asian doctor. In The Right Stuff, he saved the patient's life by using a defibrilator in an oxygen-rich environment, but set off the sprinklers in the process. In Mirror Mirror, he once again used a defibrilator to disastrous effect - he saved the patient, but the patient's wet skin conducted the charge to Kutner and knocked him cold. He earned his place among the finalists by suggesting that House give a patient alcohol to stress her liver when an invasive test was impossible. The mirror patient started acting like he was a masochist and hated being identical to other people when he was around Kutner. Number 13 - (played by actress Olivia Wilde). Number 13 is a former veterinarian, who guessed that the patient had heartworms from his companion animal. She was right, but failed to ensure that the patient took his medication for it. As such, the rest of the applicants and House believed that the patient's failure to improve meant he didn't have heartworms. He eventually died from the condition. Despite her mistake and her failure to be honest about not watching the patient take his medication, House did not fire her. The mirror patient was scared when he was around Number 13. The Next Four Henry Dobson - (played by actor Carmen Argenziano). Henry was by far the oldest applicant - he's in his sixties. House figured out that Henry had never actually graduated medical school because he was avoiding doing procedures on patients. However, he spent most of his life working at Columbia University's medical school and is the applicant who appears to have the broadest medical knowledge. House has agreed to keep Henry on as a medical assistant if he survives the competition. As House put it "It is your dream job. It is not your dream job title". However, House fired Henry after the episode Guardian Angels because all Henry brought to the equation was pretty much the same medical knowledge House already had and House didn't need someone who just echoed his thoughts. Jody Desai - (played by actress Meera Simhan). Jody is a south Asian woman. She was last seen in 97 Seconds as part of the women's team. The Twins - (played by actresses Melinda Dahl and Caitlin Dahl). The Twins are a pair of attractive female doctors who have developed the habit of discussing a differential diagnosis between them while the rest of the applicants listen. House is obviously having fantasies about them. In The Right Stuff, they suggested Lupus as the diagnosis. They were last seen in 97 Seconds as part of the women's team. Category:Characters